Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-01-27
PlCKETT's CHARGE.

4. X. Ale1NnueT. FROM the latters re-
count Of Pickett's charge We quote ~
follows; AT exactly one O'Clock by
my watch the two signal-guus were
heard in quick succession. In another
minute every gun WAS at work. The
enemy were not slow in coming back
at us, and the grand roar Of nearly the
whole artillery of both armies burst in
on the silence, almost rs suddenly az
the full notes Of an organ could hl
church.
THE artillery of Ewelrs corps, how.
ever. took only n q small part | be-
lieve, in this, as they we're too far away
around the town. Some Of them might
have done good service from positions
between Hill and Ewell. enhlading the
batteries fighting us The opportunity
to do that was tho single advantage, in
our having the exterior line to com
pensate for all its disadvantages But
our line was so far extended that all Of
1t was not we'll studied. and the officers
Of each corps had no opportunity TO or
anime each Others ground for chances
Of cooperative work.
1.-THE enemy's position seemed 10
have broken out with guns everywhere,
and from Round Top 10 Cemetery Hill
was blazing like n volcano. The mir
seemed lull of missiles from every
direction. The severity of the fire NAV
be illustrated by the casualties in nv
own battalion under Major Huger.
Before the cannonade opened had
made up my mind 70 give Pickett the
order TO advance within fifteen OF
twenty minutes after il began. But
when looked at the full development
of the encmy's batteries. and knew that
his infantry Syas generally protected
from our fire by stone walls and swells
| of the ground, | could not bring myself
to give the word. II seemed madness
to launch infantry into that tire, with
nearly three-quarters of mile to go in
the midday July sun. let tho fifteen
minutes pass, and twenty, and twenty
five. hoping vainly for something to
turn up. Then | wrote to Pickett: III
you are coming at all you must come al
once. or | cannot give you proper sup
port; but tho enemy's fire has not slack.
ened Al ALL at least eighteen guns are
still firing from the cemetery itself
! Five minutes after sending that mes
sage, the encmy's fire suddenly began
to slackeu, and the guns in the cemetery
limbered up and vacated the position.
1--WE Confcderates often did such
| things rs that to save our ammunition
for use against infantry, hut had never
before seen the Federals withdraw their
guns simply to save them up for the in
| fantry light So | said, III he docs NOT
run fresh batteries in there in i've
minutes this is our fight looked
anxiously with my glass, and the five
minutes passed without sign Of life on
| the deserted position, still swept by our
| fire, and Uttered with dead men and
horses and fragments Of disabled car
riages. Then wrote Pickett, urgent
! ly: For Gods sake. come quick. The
eighteen guns are gone; come quick, or
my ammunition won't lot me support
you properly.
ii afterwards heard from others what
took place with my first note to Pickett
pickett took il to Longstreet, Long
street read Il. and said nothing Pick
cit said General, shall ! adyanceP
Longs,rcet, knowing II had to be. but
unwilling to give the word, turned his
face away. Pickett sainted and said, y
am going TO move Forward. sir gall
| loped of 10 his division and immediate
| " put il in motion.
"Longstreet. leaving his siaft. came
out alone 10 where | was. II was then
about lao p, m. ] explained the situa-
ton, feeling then more hopeful, but
afraid our artillery ammunition might
not hold ont for ali we would want.
! Longstrcct said, Stop Pickett immcd.
lately and replcnish your ammunition
] explainc, ,aat il would take too long.
aud the enemy would recover from the
effect our fire was then having and We
had, moreover, very little 10 replensh
with. Longstruet said, 4 don want to
make Tins attack. would stop it now
but that General Leo ordered il and eS-
poets II to 80 on. | don't see how IL
can succeed.
IL listened but did not dare offer
word. The battle was lost il we stop
ped. Ammunition was far too low TO
try anything else. for We had been
| fighting three days. There was
chance and il was not my part to inter
fere. While Longstreet was still speak
ing, Pickett's division swept out Of the
wood and showed the full length of its
gray ranks and shining bayonets, as
grand n sight as ever man looked on.
Joining it on the left, PettigrcF stretch
ed farther than could see. General
Dick Garnet, just out OF the sick am
bulance, and buttoned up in an old
blue overcoat, riding at tho head OF his
brigade, passed us and salutod Long
street Garrett was q warm personal
| friend, and we had NOT met before for
months. We had served on the plains
together before the war. | rode with
him short distance, andNhen we wish
ed each Other luck and goodbye
which was our last
Then rode down the line Of guns,
selecting such rs had enough ammuni-
| ton 10 follow Ricketts advance, and
starting them after him as FAST AZ pos
sible. got, think, fifteen or eighteen
| in all in a little while, and went with
them. Meanwhile, the infantry had no
sooner debouched on the plain than all
the enemy's line, which had been near
| ly silent, broke out again with 1al lis
batteries. The eighteen guns we're
back in the cemetery, and storm OF
shell began bursting over md among
our infantry. All Of our guns, silent as
the infantry passed between them, re-
opened when the lines had got couple
OF hundred yards away, but the enemy's
artillery let US alone and fired only at
the infantry. 40 one could have look
cd at that advance without feeling proud
Of il.
"i3ut as our supporting guns 40
vanced, We passed many poor mangled
victims left In its tramplea wake. a ter
rife infantry IRE was now opened upon
Pickett, and considerable force OF the
enemy moved out 10 attack the right
flank OF his line We halted, unlimber-
ed, and opened fire upon il Pickeits
men never halted. but opened tire at
close range, swarmed over the fences
and among the enemys guns, wcpc
swallowed up in smoke-and that was
the last Of them. The conflict hardly
seemed to last five minutes before they
we-e melted away. aud only disorgan-
lied stragglers were coming back pur'
sued by a moderate ire. Just then.
Wilcox's brigade passed by u.s. moving
TO Pickett's support There was no
longer anything to support and WITH
the keenest pity at the useless waste Of
life I saw them advance. Tho men, as
they passed US, looked bewildered, as
il they wondered what they we're en-
pected 70 do. or why they we're there
They were soon, however, halted ana
moved back"